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What an incredible book

Francine Rivers did it again. This book picked up where the first one left off. Spanned generations of great grandmother, mother, grand daughter and daughter. God does work in each of their lives.

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ChasingTexas

Posted October 28, 2011

This is a great choice!

After reading Francine Rivers "Her Mother's Hope," this sequel is a must read. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but you have to read to see if it stays on or not.

Don't expect a "feel good" book, this can be a bit depressing, but the story is real in every way. You can feel yourself there.

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Christian-bookworm

Posted August 31, 2011

great read

The continuation from Her Mother's Hope includes the next two generations and the main character's interaction with them. It is very interesting to know that this fictional story is representive of Francine Rivers' family heritage. I found it interesting that some of it is located in the region where I have family and during the same time frame. I wondered if they had interacted with each other. A must read.

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infuse

Posted August 29, 2011

embracing grace...

continuing the saga of Marta's Legacy, Her Daughter's Dream sequels New York Times best seller, Her Mother's Hope. 5 generations of one family of women, from the 1950s to the present, are developed in depth, detailing life and faith journeys. reader identification runs high with the realistic portrayal of mother/daughter relational conflicts recurring in each generation until the embrace of grace brings healing restoration...

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The excellent conclusion of "Marta's Legacy"

"Her Daughter's Dream" is the sequel to "Her Mother's Hope" and the conclusion of "Marta's Legacy." I would definitely recommend reading "Her Mother's Hope" first, as it really sets the foundation for this book. (And if you find this review helpful, you can look up my review for HMH as well.)

The story picks up where HMH leaves off: 1950's America, but this time with Hildemara Rose as the initial protagonist. I won't get into all the dynamics of the story again, as if you've read the first book, you're already familiar, and if you haven't yet, you need to! :)

However, what I will say is that Francine Rivers does an excellent job showing the reality of "the sins of the father shall be visited on the son." Although I'm not saying that literally, you do see how the mistakes of one generation, especially in the area of parenting, cause the next generation to make their own, either by repeating them or by overcompensating and going to the other extreme.

HDD continues to follow the lives of Marta and Hildemara, but Hildie's daughter Carolyn and her daughter, May Flower Dawn, continue this generational story. At some point in this novel, the story is seen through each woman's eyes. The majority of this book is focused on the relationship of Carolyn and her daughter, although of course the previous generations are very integral supporting characters.

As HDD brings the reader to the present day by its conclusion, "Marta's Legacy" covers over a century and 5 generations in its saga. For this reason, you really feel connected to the characters and can truly identify with so much that Ms. Rivers weaves into her tale, whether you are young or old, daughter or grandmother. Again, as I had said this in my previous review, I would recommend this book and its prequel to all women, as the story provides so much insight into that complicated relationship of a mother and daughter.

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A story of hurt, misunderstanding and bridging the gap with love

HER DAUGHTER'S DREAM By Francine Rivers What drives us to push away those who love us the most? This multi-generational story delves into the dangers of tough love and its far reaching affects. What Marta did out of love for her daughter Hildemara has far reaching consequences that affect the third and fourth generation. Carolyn, Hildemara's daughter, feeling that her parents lack of attention is due to a lack of love looks for love in all the wrong places. As a result Carolyn becomes a single mom to May Flower Dawn. But Dawn's birth does not bring the mothers and daughters closer, instead it brings a fourth generation into the ever widening rift. When she is older Dawn sees the hurt that her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother suffer while being unable to let the other know the love they feel for the other. Can Dawn figure out how to bridge the gap between her Mother and Grandmother so that they can all discover the love that's been there all along? Or will a fifth generation be caught up in the rift as well? Her Daughter's Dream is the conclusion of the 2 book series Marta's Legacy. Taking up the story in 1951 it continues through to the present day. Celebrate the joys and sorrow in the tragedies as Marta's legacy is discovered!

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Epic Saga Part 2

After I finished reading the first book in this two book saga, Her Mother's Hope, I knew that September 2010 could not come fast enough for me to be able to read the sequel. The first book was exactly what a Francine Rivers book should be and I knew that I would not be disappointed when I finally got my hands on this book. Luckily the wait between books was only a couple months. Like the first book, it's over 500 pages but believe me, they fly by really fast. The first book in the series focused on Marta and her daughter Hildie. This book focuses on Hildie's daughter Carolyn and her own daughter, Dawn. The story starts in the 1950s and continues through each decade until the present day. It's a really interesting look into American history and culture.

The main focus of the book is how due to Marta's past mistakes at how she chose to raise Hildie, this has now become a trickle effect with future generations of the family. Four generations of these women have dysfunctional mother/daughter relationships and they don't improve over time. It is sad how these women missed out on so much because for whatever reason they chose not to show love to their own daughters. This book focuses on Carolyn and Dawn and their journey in trying to rectify what almost a century has wrecked havoc on their family. The story is written beautifully and in Rivers' trademark, characterization is deep and engaging. I really felt that I was a part of the story and found myself engrossed completely.

As I did with the first book, there were times when I got really annoyed with all the characters. Marta, Hildie and Carolyn were all reacting in ways that were harming their relationships. I just wanted to insert myself into the story and pretty much yell at them for not realizing how they were all hurting each other. It was heartbreaking to see history repeat itself due to mistakes the women had made. Hildie was doing to Dawn exactly what she had seen her mother do to Carolyn. This kept driving wedges between the mother/daughter relationships while the grandmother/granddaughter relationship thrived. I got frustrated with how everyone was acting and it was just really sad that some things didn't get resolved.

Without spoiling the story, I'll just say that the ending is not a completely happy one. While things do get wrapped up, they aren't wrapped up neatly. I was actually a bit surprised with what happened. It could be seen as a bit dramatic but realistic as well. I didn't expect a happy ending. There are several scenes in the book that are a bit hard to read. One of them involves child molestation. It is an uncomfortable scene but is not graphic. Another involves a condemning church. This one made me angry at the people in the church who thought they were all holy when really they were nothing but hypocrites. Other topics such as how Alcoholics Anonymous can be beneficial is also brought up as well.

Overall, I would call the two books in this series as an epic. It spans four generations of this family and shows how the relationship between mother and daughter was broken and repaired. The family is dysfunctional, to say the least, and things weren't always happy but under it all they loved each other. The story is also a really interesting look into American history. The first book looked at American history from an immigrant and first generation children's point of view. This book takes it from the viewpoint of children who have always grown up in American

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Prolificreader

Posted August 8, 2011

Family Saga Finished

It took four generations for the hurts and anger and bickering between a family of four women to come to an end. "Her Daughter's Dream" continues the story begun in book one, Her Mother's Hope and they should be read one right after the other. Which is what I did.

There are so many character struggles in this book. So much heartache, so much learning to be done and through it all I did find myself a bit indifferent. But there were many moments though the book that tugged at my emotions. Both joyful and sad, this books takes the reader through the ringer.

Dawn was definately my favorite character. She didn't bow to the mistakes her previous generations had made, though she definately made plenty of her own, but she wanted to change and yearned to change. It made all the difference.

But the ending is why I gave the book 3 stars. I don't want to give it away, but I didn't like how it was tied up. I was heartbroken in the end and though it was tied up neatly and I wasn't "upset", I was very disappointed in the ending.

However, this review is just my opinion and I know many other readers have loved the book.

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7976750

Posted July 13, 2011

Better than the first!

Finished in 3 days, would of finished sooner but my husband hid my nook. He said that it was the only way he could get me to talk to him. I could not stop! Loved it

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ReneeAnn

Posted July 5, 2011

Difficult to read but impossible to put down!

Her Daughter's Dream continues the fascinating character study Francine Rivers began in Her Mother's Hope. This book covers the lives of Marta's daughter and granddaughters. The characters seemed so real to me and the hurts they inflicted upon each other so damaging that, again, I found this book difficult to read yet impossible to put down.

Spanning from the 1950s to present day, this book tells the story of Hildemara's battle with tuberculosis. Because of her illness, her daughter Carolyn forms a special bond with Grandmother Marta. When Hildemara returns to work and Marta leaves, Carolyn is neglected and tries several destructive paths before returning home to her mother. We see the past repeated as Carolyn's daughter Dawn forms a strong bond, not with her mother, but with Grandmother Hildemara. Finally, as Dawn struggles to avoid the examples of those who have gone before her, she finds a way to bridge the gap between the women in her family. After so long a time coming, redemption of the family history is sweet!

I can't say enough about Francine Rivers's ability to sweep me away into a story, particularly this story of four generations of women. Her Daughter's Dream reminded me of a biblical saga, where folks make surprising decisions and choices that somehow are completely within their characters. In this volume, I could better relate to the inner conflicts the characters faced, and I rejoiced to see softer sides of Marta and Hildemara.

Upon finishing this story, I was left thinking, How do we ever find peace in our family relationships when we are so quick to judge, control, and manipulate each other? As this book shows, the answer can only be found in Christ. And sometimes, even when we find the answer, it is too late to regain the many wasted years. Thank God that this world is just a stepping stone to eternity. Believers can rest assured that no matter how they've treated their loved ones, in Heaven all tears shall be wiped away, and we all shall each receive a fresh start.

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Louisa_May

Posted July 5, 2011

Amazing Historical Fiction!

Francine Rivers is my favorite modern author. Since I discovered her books about 2 years ago, I have become spoiled with amazingly well-written, life-changing, inspirational fiction. All of her historical books are so well researched that you feel like you're truly there. This is no fiction that was written quickly... it was well thought out and will change your life.

The 2 book series "Marta's Legacy" is a saga. It deals with the relationships between mothers and daughters with quite a lot of romance, too. These women battle so many different obstacles and their struggles are often hard to read about. In "Her Daughter's Dream," one of the main characters is so meek you want to grab her and tell her, "Just tell someone what you feel!" Still, it's a gripping read and a wonderful story that comes together perfectly in the end. These are characters and a storyline you won't forget. This 2nd book in the series takes place from the 1950s to the present day. Having such a glimpse of what it was like to grow up in the 60s was very eye-opening. I've read a lot of historical fiction but never anything that delved into the Hippi Era. I loved this book and highly recommend it!

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cllane2

Posted July 2, 2011

Loved this book

While many sequels aren't as good as the original, this book is just as good or even better as the first book (Her Mother's Hope) in Marta's Legacy. Picking up right where Her Mother's Hope left off, Her Daughter's Dream follows Hildemara and her family. Hildemara is in the hospital with tuberculosis. Because of this, Marta moves in to care for Hildemara's children. Carolyn, Hildemara's daughter, feels rejected because she can't see her mother because of the tuberculosis which she doesn't understand. So Carolyn connects with Marta. As Carolyn grows up, she tries to find herself in college, but only finds more problems. Returning home pregnant, Carolyn relives her childhood in that her daughter, May Flower Dawn, connects more with her grandmother, Hildemara, rather than with her mother, Carolyn. As Dawn discovers more about her family, she struggles to avoid the mistakes of the women in her life and seeks to be teh peacemaker in her family.
Her Daughter's Dream is a very satisfying sequel to Her Mother's Hope. It is a book you will want to read again and again!

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KneeCee

Posted June 30, 2011

Wonderful Conclusion

Many of us have favorite authors that no matter what their book is about we will pick it up. Francine Rivers is one of those authors for me. In this second book (and final) book of Marta's Legacy we find the mother/daughter relationship becoming a generational cycle for this family. You will be pulled in by this emotional story of loss, sorrow, pain, anger, love and forgiveness. You will need a few tissues on hand for the last 60 pages and hopefully be changed as you close the cover. Every grandmother, mother and daughter should read these books. While this is Christian fiction, it is gritty, honest and tells the story of hurting, messed up women.

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amber93AC

Posted June 24, 2011

excellent

her daughters dream starts out when marta comes to live with hildie for a little while so she can take care of her. hildie's daughter caroline doesn't under stand why she can't go in her mothers room and after she sneaks in to give her flowers her mother tells her to get out she doesn't want her near her. caroline takes that the wrong way and thinks her mother doesn't love her. so starts to bond with oma (marta). after a while when her parents start building their house and they tell her get out from under foot she becomes friends with doc because she has no other friends because she is so shy. he tricks into thinking he wouldn't hurt her and calls her his honey bee then they start to play special games then he does hurt her when he seduces her. she never told anyone because doc told her she would get in trouble and her dad would shoot him her only friend. as she grows up she has nightmares. when she got a new room mate in college who got her mixed up things she shouldn't. her grades dropped and soon she dropped out to protest the war which her brother charlie was in. when he was killed she and her friend chel who was the only one who knew about doc took her away from where they were to haight ashbury. she was used and abused by ash when chel got tired of it. then chel got realy high and started talking about suicide and ash made caro watch her. one day caro went for a walk in the park and when she got back chel had killed her self. ash was furious because she had all the money. then caro went to go live in the park because she thought her family didn't want her. she lived off of trash and slept under bushes for a long time. one cold evening she was on the beach and saw a soldier with a guitar she followed him and he gave her chocolate and let her sleep in his sleeping bag with him and then they had sex. she didn't know it then but that was when dawn was made. she woke up before he did and wandered off and got lost and fell asleep on some flowers. thats when jesus came to her and told her time to go home. she got and found mary who fed her and took her to the bus station and bought her a ticket home. her parents were glad she was home. they sent her to hildie's friend boots. after she had the baby and she came home they made her get a job which caused her to missed the first 5 years of her doughters life. when she had enough she moved out and took dawn with her dawn did not like this she wanted to stay with granny. after a while when she married mitch she started to like it there. she still called granny every day until her mother told granny to stop calling. then mitch had a talk with her and things started to get alot better. after her brother christopher drug her to church with him for vbs she met jason. she stated going to that church every wednsday night. she and jason started going out. after a while they couldn't resist any longer and they had sex. she thought she was pregnant but she wasn't and she was relieved. they started useing protection which his mom found the rapper for and had at dawn when she came over. jason called that night and said he thoought they should take a brake for a while. she thought that break up. so she did her best to avoid him. when she stated college she found him they later got married and tried to have kids. after two tries they got one. she died two weeks later bringing her mom and grandmother back together.

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BlogfulofBooks

Posted June 20, 2011

Great Storytelling

I love Francine Rivers's writing style, and I love the way she interweaves the stories of the four main characters. There is just so much ... I'm not sure how to word it ... so much life told in these books. From war to death to child abuse to independence to love to ... the list could go on and on. Rivers is a wonderful storyteller, and I truly enjoyed reading this saga.

The only negative for me is that Rivers includes a very well described sex scene, and I just can't understand that in a "Christian" novel. The scene does have importance to the rest of the book, but I don't know why she couldn't have just implied it and not written it out.

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Holly11

Posted June 15, 2011

Amazing story of God's redemption!!

I started Her Daughter's Dream almost immediately after finishing Her Mother's Hope. The first book ends with Marta, "Oma," going to her daughter Hildemara's house to take care of Carolyn, her granddaughter, while Hildemara recovered from tuberculosis. This serves to further drive a wedge in Hildemara and Marta's relationship, as jealousy crops up over who will care for Carolyn.

I was quickly swept up into the book as Carolyn's story started to unfold. One tragedy after another seems to define her life, and she runs away to the counter-culture of San Francisco in the 1960s. When she returns home, she finds out she is expecting a baby, who she names May Flower Dawn.

I think I liked this book even more than the first. I loved reading about how God redeemed the lives of the characters, and "restored the years that the locust had eaten." My favorite books always have a theme of redemption, and Francine Rivers never fails to disappoint. I especially enjoyed reading the afterword, where Francine talked a little bit about her family's history, and how it correllated with the story in this series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about God's redeeming mercy in the lives of characters that seem like they could live next door.

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Paula_Greene

Posted June 11, 2011

A multi-leveled story of healing and restoration - awesome!!

This book picks up where "Her Mother's Hope" leaves the reader hanging, begging for more. Francine Rivers continues the reader on a journey through the lives of several generations of women - great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, and daughter and why they relate the way they do. This book gave me insight into how tragedy can shape family relationships but also how they can be rebuilt through understanding and forgiveness. This is a beautiful, intriguing, page-flipping story of healing and restoration on many levels.

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tatormc

Posted June 10, 2011

Gripping!

This series could be the best I've ever read! I couldn't put it down! I think it caught my attention so much because I'm a parent. This makes you look at your parenting wondering if you are pushing your child too hard or not pushing enough. I also see myself in a lot of these women. I hope that there are never any separations in my life like I've read in these books.

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Her Daughter's Dream a review

Hildie becomes ill and Marta(Oma) comes to stay with the family while Hildie is sick. Marta and Carolyn become very close, so close it creates problems between Hildie and Marta resulting in Marta returning home leaving Carolyn. Whithout Marta Carolyn is lost and she feels and turns to Charlie her brother to comfort her. When the family relocates Carolyn has trouble fitting in, but soon finds out what can happen when someone acts out of desperation. Hildie then starts working again and like her mother before her she is always gone and not home when her children need her the most. Years pass and with it war comes bringing tragedy and Carolyn clinging to her thoughts withdraws deeper within herself. Thoughts have a way of grabbing you and not wanting to let go and whether Carolyn wished them to or not some things always have a way of coming to the surface. After the birth of Mayflower Dawn "Dawn" Carolyns life seems to be coming together. As Dawn grows up she becomes strong in her faith. This novel comes full circle covering a span of over 30 years. A poinant story of love, loss and tragedy that is quite lengthy so do not expect to finish it in a few hours.

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7976331

Posted June 8, 2011

LOVED IT!!!!!!!

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed these books. Once again, Francine Rivers delivers a heartfelt faith driven story of love and family. I saw my own grandmothers, mother, self and daughters reflected in this soon to be classic. Bravo and get some tissue!!! Pass on the love!!!

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